Inner Tribe Interview || The Social Easel

Thank you guys for being here with me. So I just wanted to have you guys come on and just share a little bit of how you came to meet me and become a part of the Social Easel, whether it was through the local paint nights here or the online, maybe how long you've been painting with me and what your story has been. I can't remember when everyone joined the Social Easel online paint studio. Did you join in June? June. June.

First time.

First time.

Right at the jump drive.

Right at the beginning.

Okay.

Don't miss a lick.

So Debbie, I'll start with you because you were the very first one out of this group to paint with me in the very, very beginning.

Yeah, so I met you at the social boutique. My friend Lisa had that, and I painted the poppies, and I loved it. And I got a group together, I did a private class, and I loved it, and I want to do some more. And then I never could find anybody to go with me, or it just wasn't working in the schedule, so I didn't go for the longest time. And then I did a palette class and one more painting class And then you came up with the brilliant idea of the online class, and I'm like, yes, I can do what I want, when I want, the order I want, and it has just been a blessing. I feel like I have grown so much, and you are such an awesome teacher because you go step by step for newbies. And so it has been great, and I really think that I've grown, and my husband says I have.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I agree. I mean, it's so neat because you guys can share your progress from the beginning and then each one that we do and different techniques that you're learning.

Yeah, so this has been great because I really didn't get to paint with you for probably 3 years. Yeah, and now lots.

That's awesome.

So Becky, what about you?

Well, let's see, I've been with you probably a little over 6 months now. The very first time that I painted with you, you were at a local church and you we were doing a private paint party with the poppies at Ridgecrest.

Yes, I remember that.

Those poppies, I'll get to that.

I know, I think we talked about this like 8 times.

What drew me to that, that was my grandma's favorite flower. And so that was when I took the very first painting class. And then I noticed that through Facebook you were starting doing more of these paint nights through the Social Easel at the Pitch and So I signed up and got started, and then when you did the online, I was right on board. And since all of this has transpired, we've done a private interview with the first selling of one of my paintings, and since then I have sold 7 more.

7?

I didn't know you got to 7!

Oh my gosh!

Our artist! I know! Yeah, this has just been— the 10-year plan was that I was going to learn how to paint for retirement, and it's happened way quicker than what I ever anticipated. And I'm just having a joy of doing it, but I can't find time to paint. I'm getting frustrated.

I'm ready for retirement.

She's ready for retirement.

I hear it now.

So you can just keep Keep selling more while you're working and then you'll get to retire early.

Yeah, what was really cool was that I had a high school classmate had seen one of my paintings that I posted after a class, a local class, and he said, "Is that for sale?" And I said, "Well, yeah, I guess so if you really want it." And so that's when I texted you at 11 o'clock at night and said, "What do I do? I don't know what I'm doing." Sell it and paint another. And so I did. But then as I was getting them packaged up, ready to go, just by word of mouth, a coworker saw that I had painted something and said, hey, could you do that? It was the cotton balls in the mason jar. He wanted that one, the guy from Iowa. And so a coworker said, could you do flowers in a mason jar? So that's when the coneflowers came into play. And they're my nemesis because coneflowers and I don't get along. And so anyway, then he got that for his mom. And so it's just kind of brainstormed. I've had the Happy Camper palette that I sent back to Kansas to a friend that I worked with back there. And, and so yeah, it's just gone off way faster than I ever anticipated because I still have a lot to learn. And I—

you're doing great, but I feel like I don't know much.

Well, you know it best.

You know what, but that brings up a good point because I think a lot of people think you have to be an artist or you had to have— like, I've painted since I was 5, so everyone's like, well, you've done that forever, so you're the only one who knows how to paint. And that's not true. Like, we all have that creative part of us on the inside, and it's just pulling it out of you guys and showing you guys that you actually know more than you think you know.

Well, I had to create variegated barn, you know, what looked like a barn for the coworker. I'm thinking, how in the world do I do that? Oh, I know, blend like what she showed us how to do. So I used black and white, and then I used kind of like a chocolate brown, and then some kind of rust color and made the rust spots on it.

Yeah, and it looked good.

And I guess it was my impression of what it was. You know, compared to the picture that he sent to me. And I'm thinking, what are— what is kind of scary, because if people want you to compose something, and I'm not at that level where I can just brainstorm yet, that's where I've got to get out of that comfort zone that I'm in right now. You are creating for us, and you are allowing us to paint those strokes and be able to get the picture, but I've got to get that mindset that I can create something myself. And be okay with it, and it'll be fine if I just let go and let the paintbrush do the work and me not— I have to get my mind out of the way.

And I think when I—

go ahead, Debbie.

Well, that's what's been fun too, is I feel like I could make something on my own, like, and I have. I would have never done that before. Like, I've learned so much I can compose my own.

Yeah, that's awesome. And I think it's so important when you get to that step, you know, you guys are advancing and you you're getting more comfortable, you don't have as much fear like you did maybe in the beginning. But, you know, like I told you guys, when I come up with ideas, I'm usually drawing on receipt papers or scrap paper, and then I have a sketchbook and I'll draw little thumbnails. And you could do up to, you know, 5 to 8 versions of the same— yeah, of the same thing that you're working on and deciding, well, I like that there or that there. And then when you go to your painting your brain has already been like, oh yeah, I know where this is going to go. You know what I mean? So that helps a lot when you're going through the composition part of it too.

But I'm enjoying myself thoroughly and I'm going to stay with you as long as you need me. Until she kicks us out.

Yeah, exactly right.

What about you, Miss Jessie?

Oh, well, I was looking for someone to paint with. I hadn't painted for several years. A few years ago and just stumbled onto you, I think on Facebook, and got so excited because it was exactly what I was looking for. And I think I had us both crying.

You did!

I was so excited!

Jesse called me on the phone, and I do all my reservations online, and so I got a phone call and I'm like, well, that's weird. I do all my reservations online. I wonder what she's calling for. And she couldn't figure out how to do it.

She was like, I really want to come, but I don't know what to do. Can I just come?

And then we got to talking, and I can still remember our entire conversation. And yes, both of us were crying by the end of it. And then that was, I think, almost 4 years ago, because that's when I moved into my new house, and that was in the old one. So yeah, so then you've been painting with me all that time.

All that time.

All that time. And I love it. My husband, like you said, has seen my improvement, and I have some paintings that I've started. I've probably got 6 or 8 canvases that I'd start something and I, I couldn't get past a point, so I've stuck them back in the closet. Well, those are now sitting out close to where my paint is. I'm just about ready to go back and paint some scenes from Alaska. And my husband's old barn on his old farm.

Oh, those will be cool.

Yeah, I'm really excited to finally have the courage to do something that is not in a class.

Right.

I haven't— I've done a few of them, but, uh, and I share it with my granddaughter. Yeah, one of my 11-year-old granddaughters is an artist, and she'd loves to paint with me, and when we now do this online, every time she comes over, it's, "Grandma, can we do that?" Well, we only have 30 minutes right now.

But I love that, and there's been some other people in the group who are doing it with their daughters and their grandkids too, so I mean, you could even have a little group of people over and do it together, so that's really neat.

My daughters are kind of wanting to. And I said, okay, we just got to carve out a time when nobody's running to the whatever activity it is.

But that's good.

Yeah, it is.

And I can go back again and again because flowers are hard for me for some reason. I love flowers and they're the hardest thing for me, but I can go back and look at it again and do it again and do it again until I get it where I want it.

Yeah, you know, I was even telling Corey, like, I think you guys get— I mean, I've been doing this, you know, locally for almost 5 years, but I think you guys get a better teaching style from me because you're not sitting 6, 7, 10 feet away. You're like this and really getting to see what those brushstrokes look like up close. And then you can pause and rewind.

Yes.

Well, and even like when you're working with kids, if you've got 30 minutes, you could start a painting and pause it and then come back and pick it up. You know, like break it into a couple sessions if you needed to. So that's good too.

Even with my 11-year-old, we have to take a break, do something else for a few minutes. Okay, let's let the paint dry.

Yeah, there you go.

Yeah, drying time.

So, and no, I'm not ever giving it up. I'll take it with me. My car.

That's awesome.

All right, Miss Sarah, what about you?

Uh, I started painting with you in January. We did the snowman palette, and that is the first time I have ever painted. Oh wow, outside of like 5th grade, right?

Right.

And, um, I only did it that one time, and I really loved it, and I wanted to always come back, but I haven't young son and can't always find the time. So when you opened up the online class, that's when I decided I had to. And it's just my creative outlet.

Yeah, and you're doing good. You're so good.

Thank you.

I don't always feel that way, but maybe it's— I think sometimes when you don't think you know everything, it's easier just to experiment and get it right because you're not overthinking.

Yeah, and learning to just let go and just have have fun that you're creating, and then something will, you know, kind of happen along the way. I was kind of talking about that in the painting that I was working on earlier today. I didn't have an exact plan for where I— I had an idea of where I wanted it to go, but then you kind of just let the paint take you where it takes you, and that's the fun, you know, that's the fun of, you know, creating and doing that too.

So I changed my mind as I'm going.

Yeah, yeah, and learning to be able to be comfortable enough to do that, I think, is a a huge thing because in the beginning, like you said, if you've never painted before, you know, that would just like make you nervous.

Yeah, I picked what I thought was the easy painting to do. Yeah, just because there was no way I was gonna do some of these other ones.

But, but now, now you know they're not as hard as they look, right?

Now we do things that are— that I see that I think are difficult, but then they end up being a lot easier than I thought, right? I can pause and something that takes you an hour and a half might take me 3 hours, but I can do it.

That's okay.

Yep. And then we've got all these cheerleaders online, you know, we can post.

Well, that's what I was going to say about you.

You're one of the best cheerleaders in the world.

For sure.

Actually, all 4 of you are. You all are very complementary to each other. But, um, and that's, that was another thing I wanted to talk about. What do you guys think? I mean, the, the art and the teaching and stuff is awesome, but don't you think the online community is like— to me, that's one of the best parts, because if we were all just doing it on our own, you're still just in your home by yourself, and then you're looking at it and you're criticizing yourself, and then you go put it up. But instead, like, 90% of the time when they post something, they're like— and I'm gonna make it a new rule that you can't say, well, I don't like this, but there's usually a negative comment about their own painting, and then everyone else is like, no, no, no, that was my favorite part. But it's so important.

I think we learn from each other because what I see is not necessarily what you see or you see, but then you do something, I'm like, oh, I wish I'd done that. I'm gonna have to do another one.

Yes. Yeah, and there was one, I think it was Pamela's, I hope I'm not giving credit to the wrong person or getting it wrong, who did that mason jar. Do you guys remember that when I taught the mason jars? Yes, and it was like that teal, like, I mean, it was so pretty and I mean completely different than what I did. So it was like gave you guys a different version to look at and say like, oh, I could do one like that too.

Yeah, I'm still going to do the Brooklyn Bridge instead of the Eiffel Tower.

I just haven't yet.

I'll do it with you.

I want to do that.

I'll look it up.

Send me a picture.

But when we give each other ideas and it's not like we don't know each other because we make comments. And you know, you have a lady in Canada, you have one I think in Israel.

I'm not sure, but I know I have one in North Carolina and Vegas and all over.

But you get to where you think you know them because of what they say and what they do.

Yeah, you know their face from their online picture, but then when you had your meet and greet That was so nice to meet everybody else.

Yeah, I know. So next year I can't wait for our big one where we get everyone from the United States and Canada. Not leaving Denver out.

And Canada.

So that'll be super fun.

That was awesome, and I love the community of it. Yeah, you get to, you have a common background, maybe not background, but you have a common interest of being able to to paint, and then you can share ideas like she said.

It was like we'd known each other forever.

Yeah, and there wasn't any awkwardness. You know how when you go someplace new and you don't really think you know anybody? This was completely different at the meet and greet. It was just— everybody was welcoming, you know, we were all excited to meet one another, and that's the social part.

Yeah, exactly.

And that was what I loved, and I didn't want that night to end. I'm sorry.

I know, I felt like it ended really quick.

I was like, I didn't even eat my food, it's already time to go. And it was raining when we left. But it was fun, so we'll definitely do more of those and do a Christmas party of some sort. I'm excited. It's gonna be big.

I know.

Yes, and the other thing that I like is you can put it on a canvas, you can put it on wood, you could put it on glass, you can make it You can make it big, you can make it small.

And the multi-media pad. That is a godsend to practice. Yes, that is.

It's been one of my— I mean, to teach you guys on, I'm like, why haven't I been using this for years to show people techniques on? Because man, it's so awesome.

I always have it sitting there, like maybe doing the palm fronds or, you know, a flower.

Okay, now I can. Exactly. And even just testing your brush strokes, learning, like, pressure. If you want super skinny lines, you can test multiple times until you're finally— yeah, different brushes— until you finally are like, okay, now I can take it to my canvas. So that's very good. Well, thank you guys so much. Do you have anything else you wanted to say before we— It's awesome.

Join us.

You don't know what you're missing.

It's a good time.

You get all of this, all of the tutorials and information that we already have.

Yeah, you guys get all that.

I don't know any other group that does that.

Well, thank you guys so much for taking the time out and doing this with me, and I love y'all. I love you.